Elephantopus scaber Ethanol Extract Suppresses Inflammation via Regulation of the NF-κB Pathway Expression in Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic inflammatory and progressive disease that scars and stiffens the lung, leading to organ function failure and death. There is no effective treatment to prevent this condition. Elephantopus scaber is a traditional medicinal plant known for its anti-inflammatory activity, but its prospective role in pulmonary fibrosis needs further investigation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Elephantopus scaber ethanol extract (ESEE) treatment on the expression of nuclear factor kappa of activated B cell (NF-κB) and the production of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10 cytokines produced by macrophage and dendritic cells in mice after bleomycin exposure. Mice were randomly grouped and then received doses of ESEE: 0.0504 mg/kg (E1), 0.1008 mg/kg (E2), and 0.2016 mg/kg (E3) or 3 mg/kg dexamethasone (D) as positive control orally, followed by intraperitoneal injection of bleomycin (2 mg/kg) daily for 14 days. Mice were sacrificed on days 7 and 14, and then the splenocytes were isolated to determine the relative number of macrophage and dendritic cells expressing NF-κB, IL-1β, and IL-10 using flow cytometry. The results showed that NF-κB and IL-1β expressing cells in mice-induced bleomycin were significantly declined in all groups receiving ESEE compared to groups that received only bleomycin. However, IL-10-expressing cells, on the contrary, were increased in the ESEE treatment group. Treatment with 0.1008 mg/kg ESEE exhibited the most optimal regulating cytokine activity than the dexamethasone group. Therefore, ESEE treatment effectively suppresses inflammation in pulmonary fibrosis mice models.